EU Foreign Ministers encourage positive EU-Turkey relations

EUobserver

Hürriyet photo

Eleven European Union foreign ministers have underlined the importance of Turkey's accession to the EU in a recent joint opinion piece published by the non-profit organization, the EUobserver.

The piece draws attention to Turkey’s economic and political importance and encourages a 'safer path' for the future of EU-Turkey relations.

Highlighting the importance of Turkey's regional weight, the piece mentions the recent Afghanistan conference in Istanbul that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu attended, and states that Afghanistan’s neighbors agreed for the first time to implement political and security measures under Turkey’s leadership.

Click here to view the full article by 11 EU foreign ministers.

The article further underlines Turkey's rapid economic growth, and explains the depth and the importance of the EU's economic ties to Turkey.

The article also praises Turkey’s recent societal and democratic transformations, but the foreign ministers state the need for Turkey to work towards a Cyprus resolution and open its ports "as it is committed to do." 

The article was signed by foreign ministers of Lithuania, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia and the UK.

 

You may find the full piece here: